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| President Barack Obama addresses a packed house at the University of Buffalo, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Buffalo, New York. The president was on a bus tour of Western New York. |
BUFFALO, N.Y.
(AP) -- Targeting the soaring cost of higher education, President
Barack Obama on Thursday unveiled a broad new government rating system
for colleges that would judge schools on their affordability and perhaps
be used to allocate federal financial aid.
But
the proposed overhaul faced immediate skepticism from college leaders
who worry the rankings could cost their institutions millions of
dollars, as well as from congressional Republicans wary of deepening the
government's role in higher education.
The
president, speaking to a student-heavy crowd of 7,000 at the University
at Buffalo, said he expected pushback from those who have profited from
the ballooning cost of college. But he argued that with the nation's
economy still shaky and students facing increasing global competition,
making college affordable is "an economic imperative."
"Higher
education cannot be a luxury," Obama said during the first stop on a
two-day bus tour through New York and Pennsylvania. "Every American
family should be able to get it."
Republicans
on Capitol Hill weighed in quickly with criticism. Lamar Alexander of
Tennessee, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, cast the proposal as government overreach and
suggested a state-by-state approach would be preferable.
"Washington
needs to be careful about taking a good idea for one state and forcing
all 6,000 institutions of higher education to do the exact same thing,
turning Washington into a sort of national school board for our colleges
and universities," Alexander said.
For
colleges and universities, millions of federal aid dollars could be on
the line if schools are downgraded under the government rating system.
However, if colleges line up against the idea of tying ratings to
federal aid, the proposal would face nearly impossible odds. Almost all
members of Congress have colleges or universities in their districts,
and a coordinated effort to rally students and educators against the
plan would probably kill it quickly.
"This is
extraordinarily complicated stuff, and it's not clear we have the
complete data or accurate data," said Molly Corbett Broad, the president
of the American Council on Education that represents colleges and
universities in Washington.
From Buffalo,
Obama climbed aboard his armored black bus for a road trip that was to
take him through western and central New York as well as northeastern
Pennsylvania over two days. The education-focused trip underscores the
degree to which the White House is seeking to keep the president's
public agenda focused on domestic issues, even as international crises
flair in Egypt and Syria.
"As we're weighing
these domestic policy positions and foreign policy decisions, the
president puts the interests of the United States of America first,"
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "The fact that we are doing
this bus tour is an indication that the president has his priorities
straight."
The education proposals are part of
the broader economic agenda Obama has been pitching across the country
this summer. The tour is aimed at building public support for his
economic policies ahead of fiscal fights with Congress this fall.
The
rising cost of college has increasingly become a burden for many
Americans. According to administration figures, the tuition costs at
public, four-year universities has tripled over the last 30 years and
average student loan debt stands at $26,000.
Over
the past five years, the tuition sticker price at public four-year
colleges is up 27 percent beyond overall inflation, according to a
College Board survey. At private schools, the average student's cost has
risen 13 percent beyond overall inflation.
There
has been little consensus among policymakers on how to curb college
costs. While Obama's proposal could give colleges an incentive to slow
increases, it could also add massive reporting requirements that could
be a burden on schools already struggling to make ends meet.
The
new rating system does not require congressional approval, and the
White House is aiming to have it set up before the 2015 school year. But
Obama does need support from Congress in order to use the ratings as a
basis for parceling out federal financial aid.
In
addition to tuition, schools will also be rated on average student loan
debt, graduation rates and the average earnings of graduates. Under
Obama's proposal, students attending highly rated schools could receive
larger grants and more affordable loans.
The
president is also seeking legislation to give colleges a "bonus" based
on the number of students they graduate who received Pell Grants. The
goal is to encourage colleges to enroll and graduate low- and
moderate-income students.
Obama's other
proposals include a requirement that colleges with high dropout rates
distribute student aid over the course of the semester rather than in a
lump sum. The aim is to ensure that students who drop out do not receive
funds for time they are not in school.
The
president also renewed his call for a $1 billion college "Race to the
Top" competition that would reward states that make significant changes
in higher education policies while also containing tuition costs.
For
Obama, who has made no secret of his desire to get out of Washington
when he can, the bus tours have become a favorite method for
reconnecting with the public. Beyond his official events, the president
often makes unscheduled stops at local restaurants and businesses, and
sometimes pulls off on the side of the road to greet cheering crowds.
As
his motorcade made its way from Buffalo to Syracuse, N.Y. , on
Thursday, Obama stopped off in Rochester to have lunch at a restaurant
with a small group of college students, recent graduates and their
parents. He was to speak again Thursday afternoon at Henninger High
School in Syracuse.
On Friday, Obama plans to
hold a town hall meeting at Binghamton University, then travel to
Scranton, Pa., for an event at Lackawanna College. Vice President Joe
Biden, a Scranton native, is to join Obama in his hometown. Biden has
spent much of the week in Houston, where his son Beau underwent a
medical procedure at a cancer center.
The
president's highly secure bus was purchased by the Secret Service in
2011 for $1.1 million. The bus - referred to by some of Obama's staff as
"Ground Force One" - has dark tinted windows and flashing red and blue
lights.
